The fridge door is deemed the junk drawer in my fridge. It holds everything that doesn’t have a dedicated place elsewhere – near-empty sauce bottles, jam jars, meat sticks and wine bottles all line the racks.
But, after opening a fresh bottle of milk to find it had already curdled (while still in date), I soon realised that the fridge door is not the be-all and end-all storage solution I’ve made it out to be. In fact, some things really don’t belong here.
To save waste and, potentially, some fridge space, I’ve rounded up the things that will soon spoil in fridge door and what should really live here instead.
1. Milk
With the amount of milk we drink and the convenient bottle width that slides right into the door rack, we’re almost encouraged to store milk in the fridge door. But it’s worth breaking this habit and moving it towards the back of the fridge instead.
The fridge door is the warmest part of your fridge. The temperature fluctuates whenever we open the door and it’s the furthest away from the vents that circulate the chilled air. Milk is more likely to curdle in these conditions.
Instead, move it to the middle shelf with the other dairy items. The top shelf is warmer, so it’s better to stick to the middle, at the back, where it’s cooler. You can always adjust the shelves if you’ve got a taller bottle.
2. Eggs
Eggs are a confusing one. In the supermarket, they’re kept at room temperature and yet, in our fridge door, there’s a convenient egg tray built into the racks. So, we assume the design is right and satisfyingly place each egg in its dedicated holder. But eggs are another no-go for the fridge door.
First, eggs don’t have to go in the fridge, but it is recommended for temperature consistency and to keep them below 20 degrees. The lower temperature deters bacteria, such as Salmonella, from growing. They’re kept at room temperature in the shops due to regulations that prohibit them from being washed. This removes the cuticle, which is what stops bacterial growth, but anyway, back to the fridge…
Eggs don’t belong in the fridge door mainly because the motion of opening and closing it means they’re likely to fall and crack on the floor. The fluctuating temperature is not ideal for bacterial growth either. Better to keep them safely in their carton on the middle shelf.
3. Fruit and veg
Fruit and veg are another snack we tend to grab quickly from the fridge, so into the door it goes, but this is a bad idea. Our fridges have dedicated salad drawers for a reason: they keep the humidity in check and stop fresh produce from rotting so quickly.
If you store fruit and veg in the door, it’s more at risk from the humidity. Bumping and bruising is also more likely here. Keep fruit and veg in the salad drawers and adjust the humidity as needed using the vent or slider. Some thin-skinned produce, such as strawberries and lettuce, prefer more humidity.
4. Meat
I mentioned meat sticks in the fridge door, but this is definitely one to avoid. Meat (whether deli or raw) needs to maintain a chilled temperature to prevent bacterial growth and food poisoning. That’s why it’s always best to store meat on the lowest shelf, closer to the back wall, where temperatures are at their coolest and most consistent. This positioning also stops potential cross-contamination as there’s nothing to drip down on to.
Here’s how long mince beef can sit in your fridge so it won’t go off.
5. Leftovers
Leftovers aren’t as awkward as raw meat, but the fridge door is still not a good idea. The fluctuating temperature means bacterial growth is likely, especially if it’s high in moisture, like chicken or pasta. Stick to the top shelf instead and consume within 2-3 days.
6. Bottles of wine
Bottles of wine make the list more for their glass exterior, rather than the contents. If you swing a fridge door open, it’s likely to topple over and shatter at your feet. And with many racks in the doors being made from flimsy plastic, it’s a bit unnerving storing them here in the first place.
It’s better to buy a dedicated wine rack to store glass bottles safely in your fridge. Or if you’re looking for a way to store red as well as white wine, a wine cooler can maintain two temperatures at once.
7. Sauce sachets
It’s easy to stick an unused sauce sachet or two in the fridge door, just because we’d rather not waste them, but this is wasting space in your fridge. These generally contain preservatives so that they need not be chilled. So any cool cupboard or drawer works just as well – just make sure you will eat them before they expire, otherwise they simply become clutter.
So, what can you store in the fridge door?
Generally speaking, anything that contains preservatives and needs to be chilled once opened can go in the fridge door. That includes jams, salad dressings and all kinds of condiments.
Contrary to popular belief, soft dairy items like butter and cream cheese don’t require such consistently chilled temperatures, so the fridge door is suitable for these when space is limited, according to the GHI team. Considering all the above, I need to organise my fridge ASAP!
